Wabash Valley Farms Whirley-Pop Stovetop Popcorn Popper

I’m a big fan of popcorn, not just as a snack, or a movie night must-have. A tablespoon or two of my superblend, Pops’HellzaPoppin’Popcorn that I use in my Baksheesh Popcorn makes a great amuse-bouche before a berbere-roasted chicken!  So if you’re going to have fun with your food, why not a fun and easy way to pop corn?

Wabash was the pioneer of this garage-cooked-up invention to knock out popcorn. Truly I’ve popped corn in a lot of different ways, including just using an older Calphalon pot with a clear glass lid and letting it do its thing. I settled on the Wabash Valley Farms Whirley-Pop because it’s really good at making a lot of popcorn with less seed loss.  The warranty on the moving parts is 25 years! That’s not bad for a unit that costs about the same in dollars.

WHAT IT DOES

• Brings da pop to you in just three minutes!;
• The handle’s rotating knob turns a gear assembly that turns a stainless steel shaft and sweep that keep the popcorn turning evenly on the bottom of the pan;
• 6 quart aluminum construction is both light and heat efficient. You use a medium heat to get your pop.
• The clip-on lid is built to dump the popcorn into a bowl without having to remove it. Just tilt over the bowl and out it comes.

WHAT IT DOESN’T DO

• Light design does make the pot subject to dents and dings if you’re rough on things;
• Cleaning isn’t quite as easy as advertised. The pot wipes out when It’s hot, but you have to have a mitt or glove to hold it. The top is equally hot, and the surfaces are a bit trickier to clean, along with the stainless steel turning shaft rod and the sweeper bar. A little soap and water is still needed for the lid assembly
• Turning the sweeper with the rotating knob for the last 60-90 seconds stops once the pot gets full enough.

This is a very popular, trouble-free popcorn popper. I find it works better with high-temp avocado oil because it doesn’t stick to the pan and makes cleanout easier. My wishlist would have them make the upper assembly either a bit better sealed, or a bit more cleanable. The warranty on the mechanism is nice, though, and it’s pretty durable for something as light as it is.  It’s still worthy of my Jazz Chef Four Diamond Choicestuff ranking. Pop on!